May 09, 2014

US: MERS patient released from N. Ind. hospital

State health officials say the patient who was being treated for MERS has been released from the hospital.

According to a release, the patient was released from Community Hospital in Munster on Friday. Officials say the patient is considered fully recovered and has been cleared by health officials to come off of isolation and can travel if necessary.

Officials say multiple tests done at different times were negative for the presence of ongoing MERS-CoV infection in the patient. No other cases of MERS have been identified.

On April 24, the patient traveled from Saudi Arabia to London then to Chicago by air, arrived at O’Hare Airport and traveled by bus to the Highland, Indiana area.

The majority of passengers on the flights and the bus were contacted by health officials–none of them are symptomatic.

Officials say there has been no evidence of community-level transmission of this virus, such as from casual contact, a release said.

Hospital staff who had direct contact with the patient are still off-duty and in temporary home isolation. They’re being monitored for symptoms and can return to work following the incubation period and confirmed negative laboratory results.

The Indiana State Department of Health say it has closed the MERS hotline that was set up, since calls slowed down.

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State health officials say the patient who was being treated for MERS has been released from the hospital.

According to a release, the patient was released from Community Hospital in Munster on Friday. Officials say the patient is considered fully recovered and has been cleared by health officials to come off of isolation and can travel if necessary.

Officials say multiple tests done at different times were negative for the presence of ongoing MERS-CoV infection in the patient. No other cases of MERS have been identified.

On April 24, the patient traveled from Saudi Arabia to London then to Chicago by air, arrived at O’Hare Airport and traveled by bus to the Highland, Indiana area.

The majority of passengers on the flights and the bus were contacted by health officials–none of them are symptomatic.

Officials say there has been no evidence of community-level transmission of this virus, such as from casual contact, a release said.

Hospital staff who had direct contact with the patient are still off-duty and in temporary home isolation. They’re being monitored for symptoms and can return to work following the incubation period and confirmed negative laboratory results.

The Indiana State Department of Health say it has closed the MERS hotline that was set up, since calls slowed down.